Yes empathy are a good thing / must have it is one of a few things that make us different from most animals.
Still this seem to be a good learning experience, and too bad people cant learn in a more easy way.
My nephew and nieces i have always been up front with them, and told them about the many stupid things i have done and really wish i had not done, and things that have ruined so much for me, so it hurt me to see then make the same damn mistakes and there are nothing i can do about it.
I can of course keep pushing for them to change their mind, but in matters like this you also cant push too hard as that would just " lock up their brain" and push them away from me.
I know it from my own youth and i can see it now in them, its like the will to help them just get ignored.
Personally i still suffer from this defect to some degree, you can not force me to do anything, but it will be pretty easy to lure or tempt me to do just about anything.
But if you start with "you must" or "you have to" then my brain go onto feedback loop and lock up if i am not 100% behind the idea, and it have always been like that, and i think it are part of why school was such a bad experience for me.
Lets hope mom & dad dont buy the kid a new car anytime soon,,,, as i understand it is not uncommon for a lot of kids in the US, and quite uncommon here for all but the most privileged kids here.